Draymond Green Has Petty, On-Brand Response to Jusuf Nurkic's Recent NBA Suspension

There is absolutely no love lost between Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green and Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkić.

The ongoing saga dates back to December 2023, when Green hit Nurkić in the head, earning him a flagrant 2 and ejection, and eventually a lengthy suspension by the NBA.

"What's going on with him I don't know," Nurkić said after the game. "That brother needs help. I'm glad he didn't try and choke me. But at the same time, it had nothing to do with basketball. I'm just out there trying to play basketball and they're out there swinging. I think we saw that often. I hope whatever he got in his life it gets better."

The two needed to be separated and exchanged social media jabs during their February rematch, and again after their respective teams were eliminated in April. Now, the back-and-forth has spilled into 2025, more than a full year after it began.

Nurkić was suspended for three games after his role in an on-court scuffle during a game against the Dallas Mavericks in late December. It took a few weeks, but Green recalled Nurkić's therapy tweet from last February in trolling the Suns center about the altercation.

"They were about to play us the next day, and he just out of nowhere picked an argument and then swung. And I hope the brother got the help he needs, because out of nowhere, like something's wrong in life. Like, he must be going through a really hard time in life to go back and swing like that. Or possibly, maybe he didn't want to play against the team he was going to play the next day. That could be a thought. It was just a little surprising to see him swing like that, but then to get pushed on the ground and thens tart whining about it and grabbing his face, I was really shocked. You can't swing and then get pushed on the ground and then grab your face and cry about it.

"I was a little surprised, but that brother needs some help. And I hope he gets the help that he needs. You can't just be swinging on people."

Green went on to coin the term "Draymonditis," for when players seek to avoid facing him in a game.

Nurkić has missed the Suns' first two games with the Warriors this season, first with a leg injury in the teams' late November matchup, and with the suspension in December.

The next Suns-Warriors matchup is scheduled for Jan. 31.